Tomorrow or Yesterday
(Marvel TOS) | number = 7 | writer = Tom DeFalco | penciller = Mike Nasser | inker = Klaus Janson | colorist = | letterer = Ray Burzon | editor = Louise Jones | omnibus = The Further Adventures of the Starship Enterprise (1982); Star Trek Omnibus, Volume 1 (2009) | published = | format = | pages = 17 | publisher = Marvel Comics | ISBN = | date = 2273 | stardate = 3708.2 | altcover = |}} "Tomorrow or Yesterday" was the seventh issue of Marvel Comics' series of Star Trek: The Original Series comics. It was the first of two comics written by Tom DeFalco and the only one drawn by Mike Nasser. It was the seventh of eight comics inked by Klaus Janson. Publisher's description ;Omnibus teaser :… the first contact with a new race that can experience past, present and future at once (foreshadowing the Prophets). Summary :Captain's log, stardate 3708.2: The Enterprise has just entered the Andrea star system – a vast, unexplored region at the edge of our galaxy – on a mission of extreme urgency! As the result of recent nova activity, Vega radiation – an extremely destructive form of mutant energies – has coalesced into a massive cloud, and has drifted into this sector! Though the cloud will eventually dissipate, it presently endangers the Andrea system. If any of its planets are inhabited they must be evacuated immediately, or their inhabitants will die... horribly! Andrea IV has a population of about 200 bipeds in a single settlement with limited technology. The Vega cloud will reach the planet in 11 hours and 23 minutes. Kirk, Spock, McCoy and two security ensigns prepare to beam down, although Scotty is concerned that the transporter signal may be affected by a solar energy field surrounding the planet. When Scotty energizes, the transporter circuitry begins to overload. Horrified, Scotty manually boosts the matter transmitter and overrides the circuitry. The transporter console explodes, burning Scotty's hands, but the landing party is safe on the planet. They are greeted by an orange biped with wing-like arms piloting a hovercraft, who tells them that their arrival was expected and prepared for by "Those-who-have-stepped beyond". :Captain's log, supplemental entry: Not wishing to unnecessarily alarm the aliens by our sudden appearance, we had purposely materialized beyond their settlement. We could have saved ourselves the trouble... All the inhabitants of Andrea IV have gathered to greet the landing party, who are shocked to discover giant statues of Kirk, Spock and McCoy at the settlement. :Captain's log, stardate 3708.3: With barely nine hours remaining to evacuate the inhabitants of Andrea IV, we face a startling enigma! While Ensigns Todd and Zorn prepare the natives for embarkation, Spock's task is to determine the origin of those mysterious statues of us... According to Spock's tricorder, the statues have stood there for twenty-four thousand years. Todd and Zorn are unable to convince the Andreans of their danger, and discover that they have almost no technology other than the one hovercraft. McCoy discovers that the species is dying out. An Andrean expresses confidence that the landing party will protect them. :Captain's log, supplemental entry: Time is running out for the inhabitants of Andrea IV! Though we harass, cajole and plead... we cannot shake their blind faith in our ability to rescue them from this impending disaster! A starship captain is granted a broad latitude of responsibilities and powers. Unfortunately, omnipotence is not one of them! Since the Andreans cannot be forced to evacuate, Spock suggests using the ship's phasers to disperse the Vega cloud, a plan which will doom both ship and planet if it fails. Kirk requests beam-up, but Scotty, his hands bandaged, tells him the solar energy field is now more active, disabling the transporters. A shuttlecraft would take an hour to reach them, and the Enterprise must leave immediately if it is to disperse the cloud. Kirk orders Scotty to take the ship toward the cloud. :Captain's log, stardate 3708.4: Unless the Enterprise can disperse the cloud, five and a half hours of life remain for Andrea IV! Yet, using a tricorder as a detector, Spock and I have set out to discover why vast quantities of solar energy are drawn to this planet... From the hovercraft Kirk and Spock see a gigantic solar collector. Their Andrean pilot tells them that many such artifacts were left behind by "those-who-have stepped-beyond". McCoy contacts Kirk and asks him to return to the settlement. :Captain's log, stardate 3708.5, Commander Scott recordin': The mutant energies of a Vega cloud can destroy a planet's atmosphere in the time it takes a man to down a jigger of whiskey! I donna' know if the Enterprise can survive such radiation... Scotty orders Sulu to set phasers for proximity explosions. Uhura comforts Scotty in his command uncertainty. The Enterprise fires, resulting in shockwaves hitting the ship and knocking out warp drive. The Vega cloud is still intact, its radiation reaching the Enterprise. Scotty orders all power to the deflector screens. On the planet, one of the Andreans is metamorphosing. A door opens before him in the base of the three statues, and Kirk, Spock and McCoy follow him through it. :Captain's log, supplemental entry: A pneumatic platform awaited us inside the base of the statues and took us and the Andrean deep within the core of the planet. We'd expected evidence of a highly advanced technology. But not this... In a cavern filled with complex machinery, Spock mind-melds with the Andrean but pulls back, overwhelmed by a vast intelligence. Spock now knows that "those-who-have stepped-beyond", evolved Andreans who live underground as "glowing masses", are temporally transcendental, experiencing all times at once. They have known for centuries of the coming of the Vega cloud and the Enterprise, and built the statues and the solar collectors to prepare. Spock does what the Andreans always knew he would do, pulling a lever that disperses the Vega cloud with the solar energy the Andreans have collected over the eons. The cloud dissipates just before the Enterprise's screens would have failed. On the way back up, Spock expresses regret at the wasted lives of the Andreans on the surface, who do nothing but wait to "step beyond". Spock has no answer to Kirk's question as to whether the planet was saved by their scientific expertise or by the Andreans' foreknowledge. References Characters Main :Pavel Chekov • James T. Kirk • Leonard McCoy • Montgomery Scott • Spock • Hikaru Sulu • Nyota Uhura Others :Todd • • unnamed Andreans • [[unnamed USS Enterprise personnel (2270s and 2280s)|unnamed USS Enterprise personnel (2270s and 2280s)]] (transporter operator) Lori Ciana • Sonak Starships : ( heavy cruiser) Locations :Andrea star system (Andrea IV) Ercola VII Species :Andrean • Human • Vulcan Ranks and titles captain • commander • doctor • ensign • lieutenant Science and technology communicator • deflector screen • hovercraft • library computer • matter/antimatter drive • phaser • pneumatic platform • radio • shuttlecraft • solar collector • starship • technology • transporter • transporter room • tricorder • viewscreen • warp speed Other references alien • atmosphere • bridge • captain's log • Class M • engine • engineering • evacuation • • helm • landing party • life-lottery • logic • machine • meditation • metaphysics • Milky Way Galaxy • mineral • molecule • nova • planet • planetary core • planetary crust • poison • radiation • sector • security • solar energy • space travel • species • star • stardate • Starfleet uniform • Starfleet uniform (early 2270s) • star system • statue • suicide • time • tool • Vega cloud • Vega radiation • Vulcan mind meld • whisky Appendices Information *Kirk addresses Sulu as "Lieutenent" (sic), even though Sulu is a lieutenant commander by this point. Kirk also tells Sulu to "take the helm" rather than the "conn". *Scotty says of the Enterprise transporter, "We've lost two lives to this blasted contraption...", referring to the deaths of Commander Sonak and Lori Ciana. ( ; }}) *As a species, the Andreans are in constant evolutionary flux. In their most advanced state, they experience all periods of time simultaneously, so they were unconcerned about the Vega Cloud, because they already know knew? Spock will did? save them. Quotes Spock: "Jim, you seem unduly distressed. The Vega cloud will poison Andrea IV, but its inhabitants are few. We can easily evacuate them all!" Kirk: "True, there'll be no life-lotteries like those on Ercola VII... but, these people will have lost their world! Imagine how they will feel!" Spock: "Captain... at times like this, I am most thankful that a Vulcan cannot!" Related stories * – In 2265, 100-foot-tall statues were discovered of Kirk, Spock, Hikaru Sulu and two others. * – In 2266, a stone sculpture of Spock was found worshipped as a god. * – In 2273, archeologists uncovered a 5,000 year-old stone etching of the refit . Timeline |}} Publication history ;October 1980 : First published by Marvel Comics ;18 March 1981 – 1 April 1981 : Serialized in b/w in Future Tense #20-22 (Marvel UK) ;1982 : Reprinted in paperback in The Further Adventures of the Starship Enterprise (Marvel Comics) ;September 2008 : Included on The Complete Comic Book Collection DVD (Graphic Imaging Technologies) ;May 2009 : Reprinted in 6"x9" format in the omnibus Star Trek Omnibus, Volume 1 (IDW Publishing) ;22 June 2017 : Reprinted in hardcover in the omnibus Graphic Novel Collection #13 (Eaglemoss) External links * Category:TOS comics